Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Saffron

When i woke up the grass tickling my cheeks was glistening with tiny drops of dew which caught the light and refacted in my vision so that all i could see were diamonds breathing on a green background.

I felt someones arm cuddled around me and when i tried to wriggle free they pulled me closer into them until i could feel their breath in my hair, the rise and fall of their chest against my back and something else beginning to stir too. I did one of those silent laughing faces unable to contain my amusement as i tried to twist myself round to see who it was expecting it to be Jazz or Rudy but it wasn't.

"Pssst, Bondy," i bit back a giggle as i wriggled to try and wake him up.

He stirred a little, mumbled something and then when i nudged him a little harder he started to sit up slowly, propped up on his elbow in the grass. Still holding me, just.

"whats the story morning glory," i smirked quietly so that it took him a moment to hear the joke.

"Oh shit i am so sorry Saff!" he jumoed back suddenly sitting up with his hands in his lao, a look of mortification on his face. I bit back a laugh, suddenly regretting how I'd startled him, made him drop me in the grass, cold without his arm around me.

"Its sound," i tried to swallow my giggles, "have a good sleep?" i asked and he cracked too, laughing me off.

"you're a dick," he grinned giving me a little kick with the tip of his toes still hesitant to come near me.

"I'd be careful sayin things like that in your current position Johnny Bond," i winked standing up, not expecting his hand to shoot out and grab mine only to tug me back down beside him, tumbling over in the damp grass. "you bastard," i grinned back at him, one of those toothy disbelieving grins, one of those should've known better grins.

"Would you really expect anything less from me," he flashed me an infectious smile too, wiping away the sleep from his eyes as he pushed himself back up and i shuffled to get comfortable oppisite him. He was right, i expected nothing less from him and in truth i was glad for the contact again, secretly pleased that he wasn't affraid to pull me in close, even if it was all just a joke.

I fought back against his grip dragging him up with me until we were both sitting superglued together in the grass. Struggling to balance for our giggling, which, despite the ruckus of it, hadn't woken a single one of our friends up.

As we settled into silence again, the two of us still smirking. A giggle occasionally escaping, i looked around at their sleeping figures, all curled up to one another, faces pushed into the damp ground. Eyes fluttered shut. Mouths slightly open.

"Dya wanna..." i started but Bondy was already saying the same thing.

"away for a walk? Get some breakfast like," he yawned wobbling as he stood up, offering his hand to me though i hesitated for a moment.

"away for a walk," i mocked him, taking his hand allowing him to haul me up, laughing at the dent our bodies had made on the lawn.

"a grand to repair that will," he chuckled as we wandered away, the two of us comfortable in a lethargic quiet, stumbling over our own shoelaces which had come undone in the night. "go on then, how much of last night do you remember?" he grinned nudging me in the ribs with his elbow, one of those fond teasing smiles on his lips as he spoke.

"Fuck off," i grinned at the ground, "loads,"

"details buttercup, details," he grinned his arm wrapping round me at the roadside, steering me away from the curb to walk on his right side, a safe distance from the cars.

"I'm not 6," i smirked and he smirked too.

"no a 6 year olds probably steady on their feet,"

I didnt want to laugh but half of one escaped and i choked on the trill i tried to stifle so that his own amusement rang out down the empty country lane and disturbed the blackbirds in the trees.